Zimbabwe’s New Mothers Face Extortion in Pursuit of Free Health Cards

New mothers in Harare, Zimbabwe, are facing extortion for Child Health Cards, which should be provided for free. A shadow market has arisen where clinic staff sell these essential documents amid claims of an artificial shortage. The Ministry of Health acknowledges corruption and supply issues, while mothers struggle to track their infants’ medical histories without these cards. Economic pressures and reintroduced fees exacerbate the situation, threatening previous advancements in maternal health care.

In Harare, Zimbabwe, new mothers, including first-time mother Connie Jowa, find themselves waiting for Child Health Cards that have become mysteriously unavailable at clinics. These cards, intended to be free, are essential for tracking infants’ growth and medical histories. However, a shadow market has emerged, where clinic staff demand payment for these cards, exposing systemic corruption within the health care sector. Despite claims of adequate production, the cards have disappeared from public health facilities, prompting allegations of extortion from desperate mothers.

Simbarashe James Tafirenyika, head of the Zimbabwe Municipality’s Nurses and Allied Workers Union, reveals that some clinic staff sell these cards, pocketing significant sums without funneling any profits to the local government. This exploitation leaves mothers like Jowa scrambling to document their infants’ health, often relying on makeshift records. The staff’s euphemisms for bribes, referred to as being “skillful”, highlight the pervasive nature of corruption in the health system.

The Ministry of Health admits to an erratic supply of Child Health Cards and acknowledges that corruption may be exacerbated by a known shortage. As public hospitals quietly reintroduce maternity fees, the situation threatens to reverse the gains made in maternal health services over recent years. This change further burdens mothers who already face numerous costs related to childbirth.

Zimbabwe’s health care system struggles with inflation and chronic issues that include a decrease in health workers, inadequate funding, and ongoing drug shortages. A study from Transparency International Zimbabwe indicated that 74% of participants had encountered requests for bribes in health care. This culture of corruption may stem from economic pressures on health care staff, leading to increased solicitation of bribes for improving income.

Activist Prudence Hanyani emphasizes that maternal health services are fundamentally national services, advocating for their provision without cost. Many mothers, such as Valerie Shangwa, have been unable to secure Child Health Cards after childbirth, which complicates tracking their children’s health records. Despite the claims from suppliers like Print Flow regarding the availability of these cards to authorized facilities, issues relating to order fulfillment and procurement persist.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Donald Mujiri, attributes the shortages to supply chain inefficiencies and insufficient donor funding. Therefore, there is a pressing need to improve the supply chain and resource procurement for Child Health Cards. In the interim, mothers continue to be caught in a system where they must either wait or procure these critical documents at undue costs, as illustrated by Faith Musinami’s experience of being charged for a card that should be free.

The situation in Zimbabwe underscores a troubling intersection of health care and corruption, specifically regarding the procurement of Child Health Cards. New mothers are increasingly forced into a shadow market for essential health documentation due to systemic failures in the health care system. Economic pressures and the reintroduction of fees threaten to undermine previously achieved gains in maternal health. Immediate reforms in supply chain management and the elimination of corruption are critical to restoring integrity and access within Zimbabwe’s health services.

Original Source: www.thezimbabwean.co